Dunkin’ Donuts to open before 2015

Monday

Jul 14, 2014 at 3:36 PM

Oak Ridgers will soon have another choice when it comes to their morning pick-me-ups — Dunkin’ Donuts.

by Russel Langley/The Oak Ridger

Oak Ridgers will soon have another choice when it comes to their morning pick-me-ups — Dunkin’ Donuts. David Baumgartner of Knoxville owns several of the Dunkin’ Donuts eateries in the area and has decided to open one in Oak Ridge.Baumgartner said on Friday that his market studies have shown that it is a viable option for Oak Ridgers and that the location he has chosen will give commuters easy access to the eatery. “If it was not viable, I wouldn’t go in there,” he said during the telephone interview.The location is between the Pizza Inn and Secret City Nissan on the Oak Ridge Turnpike across from the new Kroger Marketplace. When asked why he didn’t go into the new Westcott Center, he said it was about ease of access for customers.“Nothing against Kroger, they are a great store, but the location I chose provides easier access for both east and westbound commuters,” he said.Baumgartner acknowledges that Dunkin Donuts is not a sit-down restaurant and is seen by customers as a drive through for coffee. For that reason he wanted an “easy in and easy out.” He feels this will also help him target some of the Department of Energy commuters who have no such option.Baumgartner said this is his third attempt to put a store in Oak Ridge. He said that he has had two “false starts,” but this time he’s leasing a space in a building under construction. The new building will be a multi-unit building and Baumgartner will fill one of the endcaps on that building. He also likes the location because of its proximity to Oak Ridge High School and Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge. According to Baumgartner, he should be opening the doors to his new facility in Oak Ridge before the end of the year.Oak Ridge had a Dunkin’ Donuts shop years ago on South Illinois Avenue.Russel Langley can be reached at (865) 220-5514.